Love Story

Oliver is a Havard law student Jock type who's father is a millionaire and Jennifer is a poor Radcliffe student working her way through college. When they meet they develop a relationship that eventually turns to love. When they decide to marry, Oliver is cut off by his father and the two are forced to become poor as they try to study and work at the same time. The two find that their love is strong enough to stand even the biggest tests of life.

A massive hit and Oscar winner in the 70's it is easy to forget this film now, simply because it is so dated, flawed and unrelatable that I found it amusing but never emotional or moving. The plot is a straightforward and goes just where you expect it to. However that is not a major problem if the film had managed to be emotionally involving and powerful – neither of which I found it to do.

The biggest reason for this is the characters and the actors. Oliver is a spoilt rich kid who has `issues' with his multimillion father only wanting the best for him. It doesn't help that O'Neal can't act and delivers even the most touching scene like he was made of wood. Meanwhile Jenny is rude and pretentious and quite an unpleasant person. McGraw is pretty but I couldn't have cared less if a bus had hit her character in the first 10 minutes, such was the empathy that she made me feel with her.

The music is awful – it is shamelessly tearing jerking and written to create emotion where none is forthcoming from the action onscreen. It runs constantly and got to the point where it grated on me. The film is not without merit though, bits of it are funny and the basic love story had potential to be a professional weepy.

Instead it is flat and uninvolving and is simply a Hollywood bit of fluff that left me cold despite a few chuckles or smiles. It may have done good box office but if recent summers have taught us anything, it's that that is not an indication of a good film.

Very pleasant surprised by this wonderful and brilliantly acted "Love Story". Owkay, the title captures everything of the movie. You instantly know what it is about. But that doesn't bother. This movie is almost twice my age and before I started watching this movie, I wasn't sure if I would like it. After all, I want a movie to be recognizable (at least with a movie about a love story, I'm not talking about movies in general. You can't expect a movie like "The Godfather" to be recognizable) and the acting has to be real. With certain movies from a couple of decennia ago, I sometimes have the feeling the acting isn't real, you're all the time aware of the fact that they are acting, and I think a movie can't have that.

The acting here was amazing. Ali MacGraw as well as Ryan O'Neal were both excellent in their roles as Jenny and Oliver. I thought both fathers were quite good as well, specially Jenny's father Phil, performed by John Marley, who surely deserved his Academy Award Nomination. The music was also terrific in this movie. I think it's, beside the acting, one of the most important points to make this movie timeless.

Unfortunately, this movie became the only success of the leading actors. It could have been the beginning of a brilliant acting career, but "Love Story" became the highlight of their career. To conclude I can only repeat that "Love Story" is a brilliant and timeless romantic classic!

Watch this movie! 9/10

I had been avoiding watching 'Love Story' because I thought it would be another one of those corny sugarcoated love story with excessive melodrama. After hearing a friend's recommendation, I decided to give it a chance and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a simple film in terms of everything: execution, performances, background score, direction, dialogues...The writing is incredibly great as the dialogues are creatively and amusingly witty. The movie stays focused on Jennifer's and Oliver's relationship that is portrayed with the utmost simplicity. A movie like 'Love Story' could have easily gone wrong but kudos to director Hiller for his fine execution and for pulling all the ingredients together so effectively with the help of whimsical cinematography, impressive soundtrack and fine actors. The chemistry between O'Neal and McGraw sizzles on screen. Both actors complement each other brilliantly and convincingly portray the 'opposites that attract'. Hiller has done a commendable job by bringing these two actors together and a strong rapport with them to enhance their work. Of the supporting cast John Marley and Ray Milland stand out by their strong presence. Overall, I liked the film a lot for its subtlety, ambiguity and simplicity that makes it feel more genuine. Clearly it stood the test of time as there are hardly any more movies being made these days that could reach anywhere near the level of this classic.

A box office phenomenon at the time (this was one of those movie that people reportedly waited in line for hours to see), LOVE STORY has continued to be ridiculed by cynics and adored by romantics for decades. The secret to the film's ultimate effectiveness is in it's simplicity. Director Arthur Hiller wisely films Eric Segal's screenplay (an adaptation of his own best-selling novel) in a concise and straightforward manner, allowing audiences to become enamored with the characters and involved with their plight. The film even manages to make subtle commentary on class struggles, personal identity, and even the changing attitudes of religion, all of which while never appearing preachy or obvious under Hiller's unpretentious direction.

Ali MacGraw brings an undeniable spunk to her characterization here which helps undercut the potential sentimentality of the picture, and lends the finale a greater emotional punch. The natural handsomeness and effortless charm of Ryan O'Neal is used to exceptional effect, and the supporting performances of Ray Milland and John Marley (as two very different types of fathers) are terrific. This is a film that never attempts to disguise it's own thematic manipulations, which may very be why it remains so effective. French composer Francis Lai's haunting original score further enhances the film, which is justifiably considered by many to be one of the all-time tearjerkers.

Superb acting, wonderful stars, a great story, very funny jokes and very real tears. If you're looking for a romantic yet soppy movie, this is the the best deal. Love Story is the finest in it's kind.